Most modern play gyms and swing sets comprise a horizontal crossbar supported above the ground by legs connected to the opposite ends of the crossbar. Various active components of the play gym are suspended from the crossbar. Some of these active components such as swings, trapezes and the like are designed to swing to and fro relative to the crossbar which remains stationary. Therefore, they are suspended from the crossbar by way of bearing structures which permit such movement with a minimum amount of friction and wear.
The typical bearing structure includes an eye bolt which is anchored to the crossbar so that the eye of the eye bolt extends down from the crossbar and a double-ended hook with upper and lower loops. The upper loop of the hook is hooked through the eye bolt and the lower loop of the hook is hooked to the particular ride being supported. For example, if the ride is a swing seat supported by a pair of chains, the lower loops of a pair of such hooks are hooked through the uppermost links of those chains.
When a play gym or swing set is sold, some of the parts are pre-assembled and other parts are left for the customer to assemble. Thus, in the case of the bearing structures, the upper loop of the hook is invariably pre-assembled to the eye of the eye bolt and an annular nylon bearing member is usually included between that loop and the eye bolt to minimize friction. The eye bolt, in turn, may or may not be pre-bolted to the play gym crossbar. However, it is usually left to the purchaser to connect the various rides to the lower loops of the hooks of the bearing structures and for this reason those loops are left open to facilitate such installation. After purchasing a play gym, the customer can suspend a particular ride from the play gym crossbar by hooking an appropriate part or parts of the ride onto the lower hook loop of one or more bearing structures hanging from the crossbar. Then, each loop should be closed by clinching the loop to prevent the ride from becoming detached from that hook.
In many cases, however, the customer fails to follow the assembly instructions usually provided in the present day play gyms and swing sets. One such lapse which is particularly prevalent is the failure to properly clinch or close the lower loops of the bearing structure hooks which connect the various rides to the play gym crossbar. As a result, when the particular ride is being used, the resulting motion can sometimes cause the ride to disconnect from the bearing structure, possibly resulting in injury to the child using the ride.
Another problem with the usual bearing structures on play gyms and swing sets is the fact that pinch points are created at the connections of the various rides to the bearing fittings. Normally, these are accessible to the children using the rides so that sometimes the children may injure their fingers at these pinch points.